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Penn State Football: Receiving corp shows ridiculous depth

By Collin Wieder

STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 16: DaeSean Hamilton #5 of the Penn State Nittany Lions dives for the end-zone scoring a 27 yard touchdown in the first half against Antreal Allen #21 and Victor Heyward #37 of the Georgia State Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 16, 2017 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 16: DaeSean Hamilton #5 of the Penn State Nittany Lions dives for the end-zone scoring a 27 yard touchdown in the first half against Antreal Allen #21 and Victor Heyward #37 of the Georgia State Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 16, 2017 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Just when fans thought Penn State football had enough weapons, the Nittany Lions show off more. This receiving group features so many players and positions.

It becomes difficult to describe an offense that never limits itself in possibilities. When opposing defenses think they’ve found a hole, it’s plugged. The first couple weeks, Penn State football hadn’t quite gotten all of its passing game together. Finally, the group came together in the 56-0 win against Georgia State Saturday.

Some players already established themselves as strong talents in tight end Mike Gesicki and running back Saquon Barkley. Outside of those two non-wide outs, some other players needed to step up. Veterans that previously had proven their reliability needed to reinforce that. Also, new stars needed to emerge.

In relation to the first group, DaeSean Hamilton, Saeed Blacknall and DeAndre Thompkins proved they could still ball out. Hamilton built on a solid week two snaring three more passes and his first TD of the season carving up the secondary well.

Blacknall finally resurfaced for the first time this season. His punishment toward the end of the season last year certainly played a factor in his lack of reps. With Tommy Stevens in at quarterback, Blacknall got his chance and caught three passes including a 35-yard touchdown to show out. Thompkins added three more catches of his own and continues to be a threat to break open the game. Although he has just six catches in three games, he’s been a decent option.

For the emerging stars, Juwan Johnson hasn’t shown up since his big week one, but he’s caught a pass in all three games. With seven catches for 107 yards this season, he’s second amongst receivers in production. Furthermore, Brandon Polk has joined the team’s deep roster catching a 15-yard score against the Panthers, his third catch of the season.

The final addition comes from backup QB Stevens. With all the talk about how to use him, the Nittany Lions found another way at receiver. He’s got four catches for 27 yards including a 10-yard TD against Georgia State. His addition in formation gives Penn State about seven different options in the passing game.

Must Read: Penn State Football Players of the Game vs Georgia State

This group can only get better with more time on the field. As young as they are, it could be a long next couple seasons for opposing defenses.

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